Heritage Center Museum

Housed in the historic former Carroll County Courthouse building, the Heritage Center Museum is dedicated to promoting and preserving the history of the county and the state of Arkansas. Items and photographs from its collection are on display on all three floors of the building. The museum is operated by the Carroll County Arkansas Historical & Genealogical Society. The building itself was originally constructed in 1881 and features two square towers added in 1905. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

When Carroll County was founded in 1833, it was much larger than it is today. Eventually, as the population grew it was divided into other counties. The original county seat was the town of Carrollton but, after the new counties were established, that ended up being on the eastern edge of the county. As a result, Berryville was chosen as the new county seat in 1875. The courthouse was built in 1881 and was originally two-stories tall. A large hall was located on the first floor and the court room and jury rooms were located on the second floor. Interestingly, a second county courthouse was built in 1883 in the rapidly growing resort town of Eureka Springs. At the time, traveling between the towns was difficult so demand for a second county seat was high. In fact, a number of Arkansas counties had two county seats.

The third story of the courthouse was added in 1905, along with the two towers. It appears county courthouse functions were housed in the building until the 1970s. Eventually, the first floor was used by the County Welfare Department and the Carroll County Historical Society occupied the second floor. The museum was located on the third floor. The museum, as noted above, now occupies all three floors. Over the years, the building was also used for other purposes including lectures, community meetings, and theatrical productions.

"Carroll County Arkansas Historical & Genealogical Society Web Site." Carroll County Arkansas Historical & Genealogical Society. Accessed August 6, 2021. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~hunters/hswelcome.html#museum.

Kirk, Dianna. "Carroll County Courthouse, Eastern District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 27, 1976. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~hunters/hswelcome.html#museum.